Outboard / trailer boat · Garmin
Garmin Reactor 40 Kicker
An autopilot for the small auxiliary outboard on a trailer boat or trolling tinny.
- Indicative price
- $2,200–$2,800 unit
- Fitted
- $2,800–$3,800
- Rated for
- Sized by drive or pump
- Editor score
- 57 / 100
The Kicker pack is a niche product with a devoted following among Australian estuary and offshore anglers. It mounts a compact actuator on a small auxiliary outboard, the kicker motor that many trailer boats carry for trolling, and steers it under the control of the Reactor 40 course computer. The main engine stays untouched.
It suits anyone who trolls for hours: hardbody lures for barra, downriggers for kingfish, or slow trolling on the Great Barrier Reef. The GHC 50 lets you hold a heading, follow a route on the GPSMAP, or run patterns while you fish. It is not a pilot for the main engine at speed.
Verdict
Garmin Reactor 40 Kicker drive sizing
For auxiliary outboards of roughly 6–25 hp with a suitable mounting; the Kicker actuator steers the small motor only.
Specifications
Autopilot components, voltage and steering modes
- Sensor
- Reactor 40 course computer with nine-axis AHRS
- Control
- GHC 50 or GPSMAP
- Drive
- Kicker actuator mounted on the auxiliary outboard
- Voltage
- 12 V DC
- Network
- NMEA 2000
- Power draw
- 0.6 A typical, 3 A peak. Small actuator; easy on a trailer-boat battery.
- Steering systems
- Outboard (cable or hydraulic)
Modes
- Heading hold
- Route following
- Pattern steering
- Heading step
Features
- Hands-free trolling on the auxiliary motor
- Works with the same GPSMAP as the rest of the boat
- Pattern steering for working a reef edge or drop-off
For and against
Autopilot strengths and limitations
- Nothing else does this job
- Cheap relative to a full hydraulic system
- Integrates with Garmin sonar and mapping
- Steers the kicker only, not the main engine
- Actuator lives in a wet, exposed spot
- Small market means fewer installers know it
Who fits it
Boats and places where this system is recommended
Boat types
- Trailer boats and outboards → For trolling on an auxiliary motor.
Australian waters
- Northern Territory → For barramundi trolling on an auxiliary motor.
- Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast → Hervey Bay is one of the few saltwater spots in Australia where a kicker pilot earns its keep. Long slow trolls on the auxiliary with your hands free for the rods, in water flat enough to make it practical.
- Darwin and the Top End → Trolling on a kicker is how Top End fishing is done, and this steers the auxiliary while you work lures and structure. It is a niche product that happens to suit this region better than almost anywhere else in Australia.
Questions
Garmin Reactor 40 Kicker: frequently asked
Will the Kicker pack steer my main outboard?
No. It steers the small auxiliary motor only. For a hydraulically steered main engine you need the Reactor 40 Hydraulic or Compact Hydraulic pack.
Alternatives to consider
The systems most often weighed against this one.
- Below-deck systemGarmin
Garmin Reactor 40 (Hydraulic, Mechanical, Steer-by-wire and Sail)
- Indicative
- $2,900–$5,200
- Editor score
- 83
- Outboard / trailer boatFuruno
Furuno NavPilot 300
- Indicative
- $3,600–$5,200
- Editor score
- 77
- Outboard / trailer boatLowrance / Simrad
Lowrance and Simrad Outboard Pilot
- Indicative
- $1,700–$2,900
- Editor score
- 53
Head to head
Comparisons featuring this system
Autopilot commissioning and operator training
A $3,800 installation with no handover is a gamble. Half a day on the water with the installer or an instructor covers the modes, the override, the alarms and a failure drill. It is the cheapest safety equipment aboard.